Sand-box for cars.



Patented- Aug. [4, I900;

M A H W A am 6 5 5 6 0 N sAno 80X FOR CARS.

(Application filed. Feb. 26, 1900.)

3 Shaets$heet (No Model.)

WITNEEEEE fiA f No. 655,863. Patented Aug. l4, I900.

- A. W. HAM.

SAND BOX FOR CARS.

(Application filed. Feb. 26, 1900.)

3 Shoet3-$heet 2,

(No Model.) I

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11 a8 M5555 :1 %%m MJWE Patented Aug. l4, l900..

3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

A. W. HAM. SAND 80X FOR CARS.

(Application filed Feb. 26, 1900.)

.(No Model.)

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ALBERT W. HAM, OF LANSINGBURG, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TROJAN BUTTON FASTENER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

w. SAND-BOX Fou CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,863, dated August 14, 1906. Application filed February 26, 1900. Serial No. 6 A47. (No model.)

My improvements upon this class of mechanism relate to the combination, with said hopper, of an attachable or detachable side plate havinga sand passage by its area adapted to be used in combination with astop-plate and agitator and actuated bya 'foot-treadle to regulate the flow of the sand from the hop:

per, or the combination, with said hopper, of an attachable or detachable side plate having a sand-passage of a sufficient area for the horizontal movement of the sand to said distributing-chamber and its combination with a stop-plate operated by a hand-lever which when said stop-plate is actuated to descend into the sand when coming from the hopper it will arrest its flow and when raised will allow its continued flow to the track. When it is desired to use but a limited measure of sand, then the foot-treadle and the hopper side plate are used having the smaller sandpassage; but where a more liberal flow of sand is required then the hand-lever is used and the hopper side plate having the larger passage is employed, the sand flowing just so long as thelever is pulled outwardly. Where the motorrnan pulls upon the actuating-lover, he can do so but a short, time, as one of his hands other than that operating the powercrank must be on the brake most of the time, thus necessitating the control of the measure of sand passing to the track sufficiently to prevent unnecessary waste and at the same time to permit of a free discharge on emergent occasions.

Accompanying this specification, to form a part of it, there are three plates of drawings containing seven figures illustrating the application of my invention,with the same designation of parts by letter reference used in all of them.

Of the illustrations,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sand-box with it shown as applied to a part of a car, which latter, together with the car-platform, is illustrated in section. Fig. 2 is a top view of the sand-box mechanism shown as detached from the car. Fig. 3' is a section taken on the line a: m of Fig. 2, with the stop-plate illustrated as having been'operated to rise from out the sand where it is passing from the hopper into the adjacent distributing-chamber and arranged to be operated by the foot-treadle, as shown at Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is another section taken on the line :1: 0c of Fig. 2, but having a hopper side adjoining the distributing-chainberiprovided with a larger sand-passage to the latter than is shown at Fig. 2 and with the stopplate illustrated as down in the sand to stop its flow and with the lever actuating it operated by a hand-lever, as shown at Fig. 5, in which the apparatus is illustrated in side elevation. Fig. 6 is aperspective of the attachable anddetachable hopper side plate shown as applied to the hopper illustrated at Figs.

2 and 4. Fig. 7 is a perspective of the hopper side plate, whichis shown as applied to the hopper illustrated at Fig. 4.

The several parts of the apparatus thus illustrated are designated by letter reference, and the function of the parts is described as follows:

The letter I-I designates the hopper, and E a side plate adapted to attach to the side of the hopper by screws to a, said side plate having an opening 0 formed in its side, through which sand may flow." Thelet-ter E designates another side plate, which is adapted to 0 be attached to the hopper side by the screws a a in place of the side plate E, and this side plate E is so applied'to the hopper side as to produce the sand-passage 0 below the bottom edge of the said side plate E said 5 passage being the full width of the hopper and having a greater area than the opening 0 of the side plate E. Each of these passages O and 0 opens from the hopper into the chamber 0, formed on the hopperside by .100

the side walls W W, the bottom plate B, the outer end plate a and that one of the plates E or E which is being used.

The letter O designates a chute connecting with the bottom of the chamber 0. As thus constructed and arranged, sand coming from the hopper through the opening 0 when the sideplate E is used or through the opening 0 of the side plate E passes into the chamber 0, there beinga more free delivery of the sand to this chamber 0 when the plate E is used on account of the greater area of the passage 0 The letter Z) designates a dam which extends upwardly and across the bottom of the chamber 0, said dam being cut away above the line b, the function of this dam being to check in a measure the flow of the sand to the chute 0 as caused by the vibration of the car.

The letter D designates the stop-plate, which is shown as mounted upon the upper end of the bell-crank lever L, which latter at its lower end pivotally connects with a connecting-rod I, and at its center this bell-cran k lever is pivoted at Z to the depending bracket 6 This stop-plate is preferably made to be parallel to the adjacent side of the hopper when actuated by the connection between the bell-crank lever on which it is mounted and the rod I to enter the sand where passing from the hopper into the chamber 0. The function of this stop-plate when operated by the lever L is to enter the sand, as shown at Fig. 4, to prevent the flow of the sand from the hopper into the chamber G and from the latter to the chute O and to do this effectively and in such a manner that stones, sticks, or other interfering material that is often found in the sand or gravel being used and which would affect the closing of a valvewill not affect the positive action of the stopplate in stopping the flow of the sand.

At Figs. 2 and 3, in which the hopper side plate E is shown as used, the bell-crank lever L and the top plate D are actuated by the connecting-rod I, which latter is actuated by a foot-treadle T, arranged in a Vertical slideway in the car-platform, as designated at with the upper end of this treadle projected above the top surface of the platform. The letter J designates another bell-crank lever which at its angle 7' is pivoted to the hanger hiwith the lower arm of this bellcrank lever J at its outer end pivoted to the connecting-rod I, and as thus connected when the foot-treadle is pressed down by the motormanthe lever L is operated to move the stopplate Dfrom out of the sand against the force of the spring S, so that the sand can pass into the chamber-O, and just so soon as the pressure upon the foot-treadle is removed then the spring S becomes active to cause the descent of the stop-plate into the sand into the position shown at Fig. 4:.

At Fig. 4, in which the hopper side plate .E is shown as being used, the stop-plate D is arranged to be operated by the bell-crank lever L in the same manner that it is when the hopper side plate E is used; but, as shown at Fig. 5, in which the hopper side plate E is employed, the rod 1 pivotally connects with the bell-crank levers L and V, with the latter pivot-ally connected to the hanger h,

The letter A designates a hand-lever, which at its fulcrum at has the latter formed in a slot in the car-platform K, with the lower end of this lever A connecting pivotally with the rod 1 and the latter pivotally with the lower arm 0 of the bell-crank lever V. Y

The letter S designates a spring, which at d connects with the lever A and at its other end d with the car-bottom and against the force of which spring the hand-lever is actuated.

The letters A designate an agitator, which, by means of an arm at its outer end a pivotally connects with the bell-crank lever L, and at its inner end a this arm connects with the agitator proper, which latter is operated by the bell-crank lever L to move back and forth over the hopper-bottom R and by its wedge-shaped inner edge a to underrun the sand in the hopper when movinginwardly, and when drawn outwardly to have its vertical face or operate so as to force some of the sand from out the hopper into the chamber 0 to pass into the chute C and be distributed upon the track.

The agitator A herein illustrated is of the same form as that which is shown in Letters Patent No. 621,815, granted to me March 28, 1899, and for which, apart from its combination with the stop plate D, with which it cooperates, I make no claim herein. I

The letter K designates a part of a car; F, the end of the latter; M, its bottom; W a part of one of its wheels, and V the dash board.

The agitator A when used in connection with the stop-plate D and as actuated by the foot-tread-le T- causes sand to be delivered to the chamber 0 and the chute C in fixed quantities every time that the foot-treadle is alter nately depressed or caused to rise. When the hopper side plate E is used, so long as the hand-lever is pulled upon the sand will continue to flow. With the hopper H so made as to use either the side plate E or E in combination with the stop-plate D, and in either instance of use said stop-plate, performs the same function in the same manner, and thus asand-box is produced which may be used to delivera fixed measure of sand with each depression of the foot-treadle or employed to cause a continuous flow of sand so long as the stop-plate is raised.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a sand-box for cars the combination with a hopper of adistributing-chamber arranged on the side of the hopper, and at its bottom connecting therewith; a chute arranged in the bottom of said chamber and a stop-plate operated to descend into said sand, where passing from the hopper into said chamber to arrest the flow of the sand, and to rise therefrom, to permit the passage of the sand into the distributing-chamber, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a sand-box for cars the combination with a hopper; of a chamber arranged upon one side of the hopper, and connected therewith by a passage-Way through which sand may flow into said chamber; a discharge-chute leading from said chamber-bottom; and a stop-plate provided with means substantially as described, whereby said stop-plate may be operated to descend into the sand in said chamber to prevent its flow to the dischargechute, or be raised from out of the sand in the chamber to permit of its passage from said hopper through said chamber to the dischargechute, substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a sand-box for cars, the combination with a hopper, of a chamber formed upon one side of the hopper, and connected therewith by an opening through which sand may flow from said hopper into said chamber; an agitator operated to move back and forth on said hopper-bottom, and when moving inwardly to underrun the sand, and when moving outwardly to force sand from the hopper into the chamber; and a stop-plate actuated to descend into the sand, when said agitatoris moving inwardly, and to move out the sand when the agitator is moving outwardly, substan tially as, and for the purposes set forth.

. at. In a sand-box, the combination with the hopper H, constructed to have one of .its sides formed by the plate E so as to produce the bottom-opening 0 of the chamber 0, connected thereto and having the discharge-duct C the bell-crank lever L; the stop-plate D, mounted upon said bell-crank lever; and means substantially as described, whereby said bell-crank lever may be operated to actuthe purposes set forth.

. Signed at the city of Troy, New York, this 21st day of February, 1900, in the presence of the two witnesses whose names are hereto written.

ALBERT W. HAM.

W'itnesses:

WILLlAM A. SWEET, CHARLES S. BRINTNALL.

,45 ate said stop-plate substantially as, and for 

